The best things heard at Chicago Bears rookie camp

1. Coach Ben Johnson

"We're not earning jobs here this springtime."

Dousing all the talk about a possible chance for Ozzy Trapilo to win the starting left tackle spot while veteran Braxton Jones is still unavailable healing. There's training camp for real competition.

2. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle

"I think trying to give them a lot, see what they can handle. Rather than, narrowly, you're going to be doing this, and we're going to pigeonhole you, we're going to ask you to do a number of things, and we're going to see if you're good at it, and if you are, then I think that that can be something that we can add to our repertoire."

This was good to hear because it's further indication they plan to build an offense around what the players do best rather than make them fit as square pegs into round holes. It's common sense and not what coachs in the past at Halas Hall really did even thought they might have said they did.

3. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen

"Now, right now they don't know whether it's pumped or stuffed, you know, in terms of the football."

Describing how little his three drafted defensive players, Zah Frazier, Ruben Hyppolite II and Shemar Turner, know about the NFL at this point.

4. Wide receiver Luther Burden III

“I feel like I'm a great practice player. I'm trying to go out there and get better and help my team anyway I can help.”

While everyone focused on how he said he'd be trying to get back at all the other teams after he slid to Round 2, this comment went largely ignored. Practice habits are the reason it's been speculated he dropped in the draft. If he really is focused on practice daily, then he really should be able to punish other teams for letting him fall to Round 2.

5. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen

"We got to play him at defensive tackle. Let him learn there, let him develop there, both as a three technique and as a nose. Then we will worry about trying to see that flexibility from a skillset standpoint."

Much-appreciated honesty from a coach about where Shemar Turner will line up, tackle or end.

Everyone was vague about positions at the draft but what's the point of not saying where a player will line up first when every one will see it in a week and a half at OTAs, anyway?

6. Tackle Ozzy Trapilo

“Throughout college I knew that I wanted to play in the NFL, so you have to be versatile. That's the quickest way to get on the field. After practice, even though I was the right tackle the last two years in college, working left, making sure that it's still smooth."

It means the move of Trapilo to left side isn't going to be a big ask. He looked very comfortable in a left-handed stance all weekend at left tackle after not playing there in actual games for two years.

7. LB Ruben Hyppolite II

"For anyone who's out there who thinks that they need things like the combine, an invite the Senior Bowl, who thinks that they need that to get drafted, you don't. You’ve just got to put your best foot forward. You’ve got to run fast and be your best self every day."

His comment just gave hope to countless young players in countless places around the country after he didn't get to go to the Senior Bowl, the combine and still went in Round 4.

8. Coach Ben Johnson

"We're more concerned with, let's find our third-best linebacker and we'll figure it out from there. We’ve got a lot of scenarios going on in our heads right now of what that could be."

Describing how strongside linebacker will be decided after Jack Sanborn left.

Let's face it, the position is barely on the field a quarter of the time. It's not really a starting spot. Using the third-best overall linebacker only makes sense instead of seeking a particular skill set.

9. G Luke Newman

“Right as we were de-cleating, taking off our tape, I went up to Kyle (Monangai), I hadn’t had a chance to connect with him yet, and I said, ‘Kyle, you terrorized us the last time I saw you, man.’ Cold November evening in East Lansing and he runs for 200 yards, three touchdowns–I don't even know, that might be underselling it. Getting a closer outlook at Kyle and how he operates, how he is as a player."

Actually, Monangai had 129 yards and a touchdown. It was another player, Antwan Raymond, who had the other 71 yards and two touchdowns. But this is good because it shows Newman was doing what he should be doing during the game, paying attention to his own job instead of something else.

10. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen

"Obviously, you know, rookie minicamp. I mean, we're just getting into the introduction phase of what we're doing with these young guys. So, we're not going to get into a lot of instant reactions in terms of how everybody's doing."

Cool your jets. None of this is that important. And it wasn't.